If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

A few weeks back I suggested to Juli that PaleOMG needed a pre and post workout nutrition post. My idea was that Juli works her magic and cooks some amazing food then the Gang eats them before and after a local weekend CrossFit competition

The purpose of this study was to test the anabolic window theory by investigating muscle strength, hypertrophy, and body composition changes in response to an equal dose of protein consumed either immediately pre- versus post-resistance training (RT) in trained men. Subjects were 21 resistance-trained men (>1 year RT experience) recruited from a university population. After baseline testing, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental groups: a group that consumed a supplement containing 25 g protein and 1 g carbohydrate immediately prior to exercise (PRE-SUPP) (n = 9)or a group that consumed the same supplement immediately post-exercise (POST SUPP)(n = 12). The RT protocol consisted of three weekly sessions performed on non-consecutive days for 10 weeks. A total-body routine was employed with three sets of 8–12 repetitions for each exercise. Results showed that pre- and post-workout protein consumption had similar effects on all measures studied (p > 0.05). These findings refute the contention of a narrow post-exercise anabolic window to maximize the muscular response and instead lends support to the theory that the interval for protein intake may be as wide as several hours or perhaps more after a training bout depending on when the pre-workout meal was consumed.

Here is the conclusion from the full study:

CONCLUSION

It has been hypothesized that protein ingestion in the immediate post-exercise periodis the most critical nutrient timing strategy for stimulating MPS, and on a chronic basis, optimizing muscular adaptations. In the face of this common presumption, the comparison of protein timed immediately pre- versus post-exercise has both theoretical and practical importance due to individual variations in the availability and/or protein dosing relative to training. In the present study, the presence of a narrow‘‘anabolic window of opportunity’’ was not demonstrated as reflected by the fact that PRE-SUPP group showed similar changes in body composition and strength to those who consumed protein immediately post-exercise. Across the range of measures, there were no meaningful results consistently attributable to pre- versus post-exercise protein ingestion.The implications of these findings are that the trainee is free to choose, based on individual factors (i.e., preference, tolerance, convenience, and availability), whether to consume protein immediately pre- or post-exercise.

So it appears that it really doesn't matter as the small window of opportunity post-exercise may be much larger than we thought. My preference is pre-exercise, so aminos, glucose and electrolytes can't be shuttled into the muscle cell by insulin and IGF-1 causing a much greater pump with is considered a form of hypertrophy by the same researchers who did this study.

As for timing, it depends on what your source of protein is. Fish or eggs about 1 hour, chicken about 2 hours and beef 3 hours. Whey protein about 20-30 minutes.